At 37 weeks your baby is almost all developed inside of you. In fact, she can now survive out of your womb on her own, will be about 2.8 kilos at around 37 weeks, most probably have a full head of hair, and her head will be cradled inside your pelvic cavity. But is it alright to have labor induced at 37 weeks?

Most doctors recommend that mothers wait their natural cause of pregnancy and let nature take its own course. Although some studies have shown that labor induced after 37 weeks can decrease the risk of death before, shortly after or during birth, without increasing the requirement for cesarean delivery.

The downside is that babies born out of induced labor were more likely to need admission into an intensive care unit. It is best to consult your doctor who can give you a much clearer picture of whether it is safe for labor to be induced at 37 weeks.

Medical Reasons To Induce Labor At 37 Weeks

Your baby’s health in your womb will be closely monitored in the last few weeks of the gestational period, and if any health risks that threatens your baby’s progress, induced labor will be recommended. One condition that specially calls for an early delivery is preeclampsia which is also known as toxemia or pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH).

In preeclampsia, a pregnant woman is prone to the hypertension progressing which may cause seizures, strokes, and other neurological conditions. With the fluctuation in a mother’s blood pressure, the flow of blood to the uterus may also go up and down, and the baby may suffer from conditions caused due to too little blood flow and reduced oxygenation.

Other conditions due to which labor is induced are as follows:

Placenta separating from the uterus.

If there is any infection in the uterus.

If the water breaks but contractions don’t start.

Health conditions such as diabetes.

If your baby has a growth problem.

If suffering from Rh disease.

Ways To Induce Labor At 37 Weeks Pregnant

There are 4 medical ways to induce labor to help protect the health of your baby and you, these are:

Stripping the membranes – in this procedure, your doctor puts her finger into the cervix to separate amniotic sac from uterus. This procedure can be painful, and there may be some spotting.

Medicines –doctors generally administer a medicine called Pitocin to induce labor, this drug is a man-made version of the hormone called oxytocin, which is created by body to help begin contractions.

Rupturing the membranes – this procedure is also called breaking the water, where your health care provider will use a small hook like needle to break amniotic sac which holds the baby.

Softening the cervix – in this case, your health care provider will give you medicines to thin and soften the cervix to induce labor.